Sayonara (for now)

When I started this blog a few months ago, I had big hopes and dreams for it. I also had no idea how busy those next few months would be. So far this year I've gotten engaged, am buying a house, and took on much more responsibility at work. Needless to say, the time and money needed to sustain this blog are no longer available.

I still enjoy subscription boxes, and will likely still receive one or two from time to time. I (probably) won't be posting about them. I definitely won't actively seek out any new subscriptions. At this point in my life with all of the new exciting changes, I'd rather put that money toward our Hawaiian wedding. Even though I won't be adding many (if any) new posts, I will leave the old ones in place for now.

I'm sorry that this has been a short-lived blog, but there are great other options out there to fuel your addiction. Here are a couple I read:

My Subscription Addiction

Subscription Box Ramblings

It's been real... it's been fun. See you on the flip side.

Free Stitch Fix in March

I recently heard of a Stitch Fix discount and wanted to share it with you here. This is big- Stitch Fix almost never gives a discount, so take advantage of it while you can! I make no promises, but here's my understanding:

Schedule a fix for the month of March (hurry, it's almost over!). After you receive your clothes and go to check out, you can enter the code RISKFREEMARCH in the promo code box. They will deduct $20 (the styling fee) from your total. If you don't buy anything, then the experience was free. If you do decide to keep any clothing pieces, you're only paying for the clothing. If you were thinking about trying SF anyway, this may be a great opportunity! 

Stitch Fix February Review

Stitch Fix is a personal styling service. They send you 5 items that are tailored to your personal style profile. You can link your Pinterest board and even give special requests. The 5 items are sent to your front door, saving you the time and hassle of a shopping trip.

I apologize about the quality of pictures later on in the post. They aren't the greatest. Good thing to know for next time! Also, I really do have a face, but it wasn't very pretty the day I look the outfit pictures. I'm sorry about the disembodied torso. :)

Cost: Stitch Fix charges a $20 styling fee to curate your box. If you order an item, the $20 goes toward the price. If you order all 5 items, you get a 25% discount. The price range of items really varies and is based off your cost preferences on your style profile.

Filling out the style profile was really fun. It made me stop and really think about what I liked and what my style actually is. It was super easy and pretty quick. Readying my Pinterest board took decidedly longer. :)

My first Fix arrived ahead of schedule. They emailed me when it was shipped so that I was expecting it. I like that so that a package isn't sitting on my porch for days before I notice it. You have 3 business days to try on the items before deciding to keep or send them back. Returns are super easy- Just throw everything in the prepaid envelope and throw it in the mail. Then you log on to the site and tell them what you're keeping and what you're sending back. They charge your credit card for the items you're keeping. Voila! That easy!

You get a personalized note from your stylist. It was obvious that Rachel took the time to really look at what I wanted. This time around I requested tops that could transition from Winter to Spring. I asked to not get any pants or dresses, because I'm good to go on those right now.

My goal this time around was to hopefully try on items that I might not normally try in the store, while still staying somewhat within my comfort zone. I knew that Stitch Fix items tend to be a bit more expensive than I typically spend, but I'm willing to pay a little more for the convenience if the item is decent quality.

You receive a sheet detailing each item and the price if you decide to keep it. As you can see, the average price for my items were about $50.  The total price for my order would be $225 if I kept everything.

Stitch Fix includes a styling card for each item that shows 2 ways to wear it. This was super helpful. The items aren't necessarily meant to wear together. They want you to try to incorporate them into your wardrobe and mix it up with what you would normally wear.

The clothes were really nicely packaged. Little details like this really show the time they take to make this box stand out above other subscriptions.

The first look was great, but I was still a little worried about fit. Stitch Fix only goes up to size 14 right now, and I was a little worried. I'm right at that size and have recently gained a little extra weight. I wasn't sure that anything would even fit. 

Market & Spruce Striped Dolman Top ($48)

This fit great and the top was SO comfortable. I would have kept this, but there was a small hole in the arm near the cuff. I was pretty angry that they included a top with a hole in it, but I understand that things happen. 

I emailed Stitch Fix and told them about the issue. They got back within 15 minutes and apologized for the oversight. They offered to deduct 15% from the price to compensate for repair costs. I didn't want to hassle with repairing a brand new shirt though. I asked for a refund of my styling fee instead so that I could try it again. They happily obliged. RETURNED

A close-up of the rip.

Bowie Solid Dolman top ($58)
After trying on the green striped top, I was really excited about this one. The color was beautiful, and I always love a V-neck. Unfortunately, it just wasn't very flattering. It was also sort of see through in the bust area, since the fabric was really sheer. RETURNED

Abbot Crew Neck Elbow Patch Sweater ($108)
I forgot to take pictures of the elbow patches, but they were a faux brown leather. It was a really cute detail. I'm not a fashionista, but I've never called this a crew neck- always a cowl neck. What would you call it? This wasn't even a tiny bit flattering on me. I think I needed a size down. It was really itchy, too. B loved it on her, but we just weren't willing to pay $108 for a sweater. This thing would need to be made of unicorn fur for that to happen. RETURNED

Burgdorf Diamond Print Henley Blouse ($38)
The shirt is actually much more pink than this picture shows. I'm wearing the sleeves down here, but they could be rolled up and buttoned to make this 3/4 sleeves. I was really excited about this being included, because I've been wanting to find a shirt like this that fits. Unfortunately, it was SUPER tight across my bust, even though it fit well everywhere else. I'm not a huge fan of the hi-lo shirt, and unfortunately this was no exception. If it had been slightly less of a pronounced difference from the front to the back, I might have overlooked that. The price on this was great, but I don't think it was very well made. Upon close inspection, there were tiny threads showing through the button holes and on various other seams. RETURNED

Alan French Asymmetrical Zip Cardigan ($68)
I've been drooling over a really similar cardigan on ModCloth for a while now, and I'd pinned on Pinterest. I was so disappointed when this one didn't work out. The fabric was really thick and it was really comfortable. It was cute when I had it open, but not so much when I zipped it. Sadly, I sent this back. Here's the one I liked on ModCloth: http://www.modcloth.com/shop/sweaters/airport-greeting-cardigan-in-charcoal. I might just try that one. RETURNED

None of my items worked for me this time, but that's okay. Even with the ripped shirt snafu, I was really pleased with the service overall. It met my goal of getting me to try new things while staying somewhat true to my tastes. My stylist really got my style and took the time to make sure the items were something I'd like. I appreciate that. 

I'll definitely be doing this again. I'll likely wait until later in the spring. We are buying a house right now, and with all that craziness I don't want to mess with buying new clothes that I don't absolutely need. I think I'll shoot for late April or early May.

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link. If you use it to sign up, I'll receive $25 toward my next Fix. I paid for this Fix and did not receive any compensation for the review. The opinions in this post are my own.

Petbox Review

A while back I saw a deal on Groupon for Petbox and decided to try it. In September, a beautiful calico adopted us. Luna has been a wonderful addition to our family, and I decided to spoil her a little. 

Petbox offers quite a few different choices. The Groupon I ordered was for the Deluxe edition. It is normally $19.99 a month, but I got it for $11.99. You can set up an automatic subscription, but I chose to just do a one-time box. You can either choose items, or elect to get the surprise box. Luna's a bit picky (aren't all cats?), so I decided to pick the items. 

Cost: Petbox offers different sized boxes. The prices below are for the one-time option. You can save a bit by signing up for a longer subscription. Shipping was free.

Snack (one surprise treat) $9.95

Deluxe (2-3 items) $19.95

Premium (4-6 items) $39.95

Multiple Pet (7-12 items) $59.95

These are the items I chose for Luna. When you choose a box they list item limit (2-3 for the Deluxe), but that's a bit misleading. They actually give you a number of points to spend (I had 400). Each item you can choose from has a specific number of points based on it's value. You fill your cart until you've used up your points. I decided to focus on toys and a few catnip and treat items.

The items were packaged really nicely in their original packaging. These are two of the bigger toys.

Can you tell that she likes my choices? These kept her busy for HOURS! She wasn't too crazy about the treats, but she loved all of the catnip toys. I think she has a bit of a 'nip addiction.

I'm not really sure how to value the items, since it was all done on a point system. I could go try to find values of similar items from other stores, but I won't take the time. I'm satisfied that I got my $12 worth of treats and toys. 

I don't know if I would do this on a monthly basis. My cat and dogs don't play with toys enough to justify the expense. It would be a great gift or once in a while treat, though.

Disclaimer: I paid for this Petbox and did not receive any compensation. There are NO affiliate links in this post. All opinions are my own.

February Birchbox Review

Birchbox is a monthly subscription that sends 4-5 beauty samples every month. It allows you to rate your items and earn points that can be changed into cash to spend in the Birchbox store. This is my 3rd Birchbox and I've already earned $30 to spend in their store by rating my items. It's already paid for itself! Birchbox also has a great referral program. For every friend you refer, you receive 50 points ($5 in the store).

Cost: $10/month

I love how they address me! 

Birchbox often lets you choose between a regular, randomly chosen box of items or a specially curated box. I usually like the surprise of the regular box, but when I looked at the choices this month, I decided go with the special box. This month Birchbox worked with Rent The Runway to come up with this grouping of items. It included a coupon for $30 off a $70 purchase on Rent The Runway. I have a wedding coming up, so I could potentially use this. We'll see.

An information card is included to explain how to use each product. I love when boxes do this. Sometimes the products are pretty straightforward. Some have very minimalistic labels or are in a foreign language, which make them much harder to figure out.

First look: When there are smaller products included, Birchbox puts them in a special holder. 

Fekkai Blowout Hair Refresher Dry Shampoo (Value: $6.93)
I've used Fekkai products before, and they're really high quality. I've been on a dry shampoo kick lately, so I'm always excited to see them in a subscription box. This was the main reason I chose this specially curated box.

dermaE Anti-Wrinkle Scrub (Value $3.19)
I really love how thick and creamy this scrub is. It's exfoliating, but not too rough on my skin. I would definitely purchase the full size of this.

the Balm Read My Lips gloss-Rose Pink (Value $4)

This was just okay for me. I like the Balm cosmetics, but this was one of the least favorite products of theirs that I've tried. I'll throw it in my bag to have on hand, but probably wouldn't buy it again.

Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner (Value ~$5)

This is shockingly bright navy blue. I'm sure it looks great on some people, but I'm not even going to try it. I'm passing this on to my sister or a friend.

Not Soap Radio Pheromone Activation Bubbles (Value $1.75)

This smells really great and was a good choice for a February/Valentine's day item. We are in process of buying a house with a huge soaking tub, and I'm saving these to use after we move. I've never used a pheromone activating bubble bath. Hopefully it works. :)

Birchbox is still one of my favorite subscription boxes. They're affordable, consistent, and easy to use. I love how organized their website is compared to other subscription box services. This is one of the ones I'll definitely continue in the future! 

Total value: $20.87

This isn't one of the highest values they've had, but it's still well worth the $10 investment.

Disclaimer: This post contains referral links. If you click through and order a subscription, I will receive points to spend in the Birchbox store. I pay for my birchbox subscription with my own money. No compensation was received for this review. My opinions are my own.